Look Beyond Appearences
by Mama Agwe
Summary: Sam has died, and then yet she lives? Our favorite goth has changed her life and goes to fulfull her dream as an actress. While there she meets a blueeyed actor named James who looks like her lost love. What is going on here? Severe AU. DXS! Please R&R.


I'm sorry to my fans that I have not written in a long time. Between school, marching band, musical, and now track my life is pretty much full. I was reading updated fan fictions today and new I had to write something for a story. So here it is, probably sucky but oh well, at least I wrote it. Hope you all enjoy it!

Warning: I suck at proofreading and my tenses are probably all screwed up. I did this for fun. And it took me I think two hours.

Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom. I really want to, but there is no way that will ever happen…..

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**_Sam POV_**

Sam hopped off the plane in excellent spirits. She was finally fulfilling her dream of becoming an actress. All her life she longed to be rid of her abusive family and live her life the way she wanted to. Now, as she looked at the Hollywood sign, she knew she accomplished her goal.

"Hurry up Jules. Well be late for our audition." Sam's friend Gina told her as she rushed passes Sam to retrieve her luggage. Sam followed close behind.

_Yeah, okay Gin. God that girl never stops moving!_ As that thought crossed her mind, Sam thought back to a certain individual who often was moving just as fast.

_Flashback:_

"_Danny, don't you understand the time is now. We need to stop him while we have the chance!!" Sam exclaimed as she watched Danny dodge another blow from Vlad. _

_They had been fighting this war with him for days and the time to end it was near. Danny had to defeat Vlad now so he could save the rest of the world from Vlad's plan to overrule it. Danny was the world's last hope._

"_Sam I know. I need to wear him off a bit so I can stop him. Sam look out!!!!" Sam was right in the way of Vlad blast and almost hit it dead on. Tucker came flying out of nowhere to push her out of the barely missing the shot himself. They both landed in a heap on the floor looking at Vlad who was laughing at them._

"_You see Daniel, there is no hope for you. The time for your demise is now. Come with me and rule this pitiful world. With our powers together, we can be a great force on this pitiful earth."_

_Danny looked over to Tucker and Sam to check on them and turned to face Vlad eyes locked. "I will never join you Plasmius. You have gone to far and are through threatening me and my friends." Danny shot an ecto-ball at Vlad to knock him back enough to go check on Tucker and Sam. _

_He leaned down to pick them up and asked them if they were okay. "Yeah man off course we are. Were here to win, not die," Tucker exclaimed as he patted Danny on the back._

"_Of course Danny. After all we…" Sam was cut off as she saw Vlad sit up and ready his powers for a final blow aimed at Danny and Tucker talking. She screamed at them. "DANNY!!!!!! LOOK OUT!!!"_

_Danny barely had time to register Sam yelling to him as he saw a huge ball of energy being shot at him, the final shot to end it all._

_Sam ran in front of Danny and Tucker to save them. The ball hit her square in the chest created an explosion to knock them all down. Danny looked at Sam and bent down to see if she was okay. She was barely breathing and he began screaming for her. "SAM. My god you have to live. Sam!! Please wake up Sam!!!!"_

_She looked at his face filled with tears. She started to tear up as well when she noticed him crying for her. She had to tell him how she felt before it was too late._

"_I love you Danny," she whispered._

"_Sam, I love you too. So much, as long as I live." Sam smiled and her head lulled to the side. She was gone. _

"_NOOOOOOOOO!!! You bastard!! You killed the only one who ever really loved me!!!!" Danny shot straight up in the air leaving a gaping Tucker behind._

"_Aww, Daniel lost his little girlfriend. What a shame." Vlad laughed at his accomplishment and stood ready to fight Danny. _

_He had enough of this man. It was time for him to go away for good. Danny readied all his energy into one final blow and shot it straight at Vlads chest. Vlad didn't have time to register what had happened at that precise moment. The ecto-ball hit Vlad square in the chest and killed him instantly. The threat of the world was gone, never to be reborn again. The final battle was over._

_Danny flew down next to Tucker and cried his eyes out at the loss of Sam. Tucker too cried at the thought of it. She was gone, and there was nothing they could do._

_End Flashback:_

Sam thought back to the events of that day, the day she has remembered ever since. She ran up to Gina to get her luggage and head out of the airport, talking the whole way out about the upcoming movie they were auditioning for and who was co-starring in it.

"He is like the hottest man on the face of the earth, and we are auditioning to be with him. Not to mention the intense kiss they share!!! Oh, I can see it now, Gina and James O'Connell. Ooh…it has promise don't you think Jules." Gina looked to Sam expectantly and Sam just nodded. _Oh yeah, this would be great, fulfilling the life I always wanted to live without the one who helped me try to achieve it, the one I am still in love with. _

As the two best friend walked to the car Sam recalled the events after the battle, the event no one saw occur. The reason that Gina calls Sam Jules or Julie instead of Sam.

_Flashback:_

Danny and Tucker left before they realized what was going on. After they left to mourn Sam, a bright light encompassed her and carried her lifeless body to the ghost zone to the gathering of ghosts. All of the ghosts Danny had defeated were there, including Walker, the Master of Ceremonies at this meeting.

"Why should we help this girl? She sides with Danny Phantom, the guy who has repeatedly locked us in here…for good!!!" one ghost exclaimed. Others chimed in with him in agreement.

"That's exactly why we need to help her. She saved our lives too. Although we may forever be trapped in here now, we no longer need to take orders from Vlad, the man who made it worse for us from the start. She deserves to live for the pain and suffering he has caused." Walker held the girl in his arms and gave a look to his fellow ghosts. One by one they looked at him, then the girl, and finally decided that he was right. Even the one originally against him sighed in defeat.

"Okay he agreed. We will do it. Everyone gather around."

"Wait, will she remember the events of the past? I feel she should so she can really grasp what happened to her." The Box Ghost spoke up for the first time and many shook their heads in agreement.

"I feel you are right Box Ghost. She will remember everything. We will honor her that much more." Walker carried the girl into the center of a circle. They all surrounded Walker and the girl to perform their work. They each chanted an ancient text never used before. This text was one that would bring back the life of a human. A bright light shone around Sam as life was being sucked back into her. She suddenly felt alive again and began to breathe, although she did not awaken.

Once the ghosts were sure of her life, they transported her body to her time period, to the place she was killed, where she eventually will awaken.

"We will leave her there with this written message. It will explain all to her, and what she can an can not do." Walker rallied his fellow ghosts together and they departed into their respective places to remain there forever, in awe of what they did for Sam.

End Flashback:

Needless to say when Sam awoke, she found she was alive and had no clue what had happened. She remembered the events of the attack She had to find Danny and tell him what had happened, and then she found the note. It said thus:

_**Samantha at this time you are wondering what has happened to you.**_

_**You must understand that we, the ghosts of the Ghost Zone have given you you life back.**_

_**We felt that you died a respectful death to save you friends and wanted to repay you.**_

_**You must understand that you cannot tell a soul until the time is right.**_

_**You are believed to be dead and you old life will remain so.**_

_**You must change you life and create a new one for yourself.**_

_**We know you can do that and will make us proud of our decision.**_

_**Goodbye Samantha.**_

Sam stared in awe at the letter that day and continues to do so now. As she loaded the taxi with Gina, who was still talking her ear off about the film, she pulled out the letter and re-read it for the um-teenth time. She knew her choice and by doing this film, she knew that the time was either coming, or it would remain the same.

When Sam awoke that day she totally changed her life. She changed her name to Julie McCarthy. She dyed her hair a light strawberry blonde with brunette highlights. She lost weight and worked out to build muscles. She gave up most of the gothic look, but still kept black as her favorite color. She looked more like your average 25 adult than you teenage goth. The only thing she did not change were her eyes. She loved the color, and the more she traveled around, the more she saw that many others shared her color so it did not look out of place, just cool.

"Jules, are you even listening to me?" Gina turned to look at her fiend in aspiration. "I was just explaining whether I should invite Brad Pitt to my wedding with James. Do you think it would be too over the top??" She looked at Sam in curiosity.

"Whatever you think you won't regret in the future. Good luck with that by the way. I'm sure that Bryan will really enjoy seeing that.." She laughed as Gina gave her a look of "oh yeah, him" and looked back out the window. She wondered more about her love. The one she lost herself to so many years ago. Will she ever find him? Will he still love her if she did?

"What the hell am I getting myself into?" she whispered to herself as the taxi finally reached hotel.

_**Danny POV**_

Danny walked into the studio in low hopes of finding his co-star. He knew that after his conversation with his director last night that he would be left to fend for himself yet again after another bailout in auditions. Ah well, no one really understand the character anyway.

"James, good to see you." Danny's director was calling from across the set. He wished he would just, for one minute, leave him alone.

After the final battle with Vlad, Danny too changed his life. He faked his own death to begin anew. Only Tucker new of his new life as James O'Connell, a well known, well liked actor. He lived the life his best friend wanted to live. Sam, that name chills Danny down to the bone. He remembers like it was yesterday the day she died. He felt like his life was over when he saw her die. He knew he couldn't live without her as Danny Fenton so he changed his appearance and his life. He dyed his hair with blonde highlights and lost some weight. He traded his jeans and white t-shirt for black slacks and dark polo shirts, purple being his favorite. He wasn't a goth, but close to it. It kept him different from everyone else, and that is why everyone seemed to like him so much.

"Hey sir. What do you need? I was just about to go over to the training room." Danny looked at his director and knew he just wanted a friendly chat.

"James, I just want to have a nice friendly chat." Danny rolled his eyes. "How are you holding up without a co-star?"

"Actually sir I'm okay. I would like to have someone to rehearse lines with, but I seem to be doing all right now. Why do you ask?"

"Well, we have two prospects that just called. They are on their way to audition for the role. I was just curious if you were in need at the moment to do the tryout with them or to just let them do it with your double."

Danny thought about the prospect. He did need a co-star and new that maybe this would finally be the one. But he really just wanted to go and relieve his stress of the morning. All night his dreams plagued him of Sam and watching her fall to the ground during that battle. For some reason, the past few nights have been plagued with her. "I'll come and help sir…oh crap! I totally forgot that I was going to help train the moves to the extras. I really need to get going to help John with the trainees."

"Oh James its not problem at all. Really, go help the trainees, I will just let your double do the audition."

"Thanks sir." Danny headed off to the training room to help John, the instructor. All the while he was thinking of the girl who stole his heart, and whom he wished was alive to fulfill the role of his co-star, and lover.

_**Sam POV**_

Sam and Gina approached the director's office in high hopes of their audition. They both looked over the script in the hall and were really into the story line.

"You know Jules, I really don't know if I'm meant to be the lead role. I mean I really like the story and it has some kick ass scenes, but I think the role really suits you some more."

Sam had to agree, although Gina was into the whole gothic aspect too, she really didn't suit the role. Sam looked through the script again. The leading girl was a girl named Kat, who was a vampire hunter and medium. She meets the guy named Derek and fall in love. He watches her one night and finds out that she kills vampires and connects with spiritual beings. Although she wants him to leave he insists on being with her and understanding her. Sam really felt this was like her previous life and wanted in it in the worse way.

"As sad as this is, I agree with you."

A few moments later Gina went in for her audition. She came out relatively happy with her role as the best friend. Sam went in next and came out with a grin on her face.

"How did it go? Come on girl, don't leave out the details!!!"

"I got the role!!!"

"Yeah girl! Hey lets head over to the training hall to start. We are already a few days behind."

"Cool lets go. He called James and told him that he found his co-star. He can't wait to meet me. Maybe this isn't so bad after all." Sam followed Gina to the training hall. Everyone looked at Gina in awe of her beauty. Sam just looked at them all and said, "Hey guys, stop drooling, she's taken." They all backed away disappointed and got back to their training.

Sam and Gina met John the instructor and began to train. As she looked in the corner she could see one guy not gawking at Gina's beauty. He saw her and came over to introduce himself.

"Hey, I'm James. I guess you're my new co-star."

"I guess I am. I'm Julie, Julie McCarthy. Everyone calls me Jules." Sam shook his hand and made the mistake of looking into his eyes.

No…it can't be. But it's his eyes, and his face.

"Hey, you look like someone I once knew." James looked at her in awe of her. He knew her somehow.

"No I don't think you do. Sorry." She walked away from him and went to the bathroom. She splashed her face with ice-cold water and looked at her reflection.

"I am in so much shit right now." She leaned her head against the mirror and took off down the hall to return to the training hall.

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Sorry for the kind of abrupt ending but I was rushing to get everything in. I hope you all enjoyed this first installment and will review. They are always welcome. Sage, don't get too hasty with me okay?? As for those you are reading Student Identity, I am thinking up the rest of my storyline, the one I had sucked and I haven't had time to write lately. Hopefully I will update it soon.

Love you all!!

-Mama Agwe


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